Best of Spend Matters: Year-End Predictions (Part 1)

Did Jason's predictions from last year at this time ring true? Before you hit the champagne, let's take a look back and see what we called head on, and what we were blindsided by.

Zycus Speaks -- Market Observations: 2010 -- Before the holidays, I reached out to a number of the larger software providers in the sector as well as some of the rapidly growing mid-size providers to get their perspectives on the trends and observations on which they're banking in 2010.

A Green CSR Crystal Ball: Sustainability Trends to Plan for in 2010 -- Sustainability is no longer considered a passing fad or a nice-to-have extra. Instead, it's now recognized as a key business driver. In fact, a new report from Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction shows that even during the worst recession in 60 years, corporations across the U.S. continued to accelerate sustainability efforts and increase efficiencies as part of their overall business plans. There's no room left for excuses -- these days, investors, customers, and regulators are expecting to see credible progress on all three fronts: environmental, social, and economic.

2010: Time for a CPO-CFO Resolution -- Financial analysts are already weighing in with their 2010 forecasts for the banking, credit and lending industry, and not surprisingly, the predictions for next year are somewhat grim. Most expect that budgets will remain tight, risk capital will remain elusive, and consumers will remain focused on increased savings, decreased consumption, and lower debt.